Tag Archives: appreciation day

On the 21st of June, Executive Director Bill Lynn and the Board of Directors hosted a party to thank the volunteers and local businesses who made the RELIANCE Project possible. It was a very special moment since Gov. Gina Raimondo was the guest of honor. As she walked around speaking to each volunteer and local business contributor, everyone was anxious to tell her of their efforts and pride in RELIANCE.

It was very evident from her remarks that she was overwhelmed by their pride, the beauty of the model, and its importance to the museum and to Rhode Island tourism as a whole.

During the week leading up to the RELIANCE volunteer appreciation day, the team built out some accompanying exhibits highlighting the metal hull large yachts built by HM Co. The exhibit area is taking shape, and over the next several years we’ll build content to make a comprehensive exhibit. No rest for the weary!

Meanwhile, the last major rigging was added to RELIANCE. We’re hoping to display two new elements. Steve Thurston delivered a stunning #1 Jib Topsail. It is HUGE– long and lean. But, it is too large to haul up. We need that extra 14′ of clearance that isn’t in the Hall of Boats. Sometimes we just wish we could take a can opener and cut a hole in the roof!

We did, however, add the “club topsail club”, even though the topsail can’t be raised either. It enabled us to try out the rigging to sheet the club home. Very complex! Below shows the wooden club which serves as an extension of the gaff.

On the starboard side, the outer sheet leads through the reef block and then forward along the boom to tackle and a cleat.

Also on the starboard side, the sheet leads from a becket block on the gaff tip to a block on the club and back. From there, it goes forward to a block hanging from a pennant which is attached to the starboard side of the gaff jaws. This sheet leads down to the boom capstan and cleat.

This starboard side arrangement is shown on a picture of RELIANCE.

On the port side, a sheet leads from a becket at gaff tip up to the club and back down again, where it leads to a pennant hanging from the portside of the gaff jaws. This pennant does not have a block, but rather a thimble through which the sheet travels. It leads to a block and tackle at the boom where it is tied off. The inner sheet is hitched to the inner end of the club and lead through a block on the gaff; a second thimble on this same pennant and then is tied off at the boom.